The Affair Has Cast A New Love Interest For Helen

Showtime's drama The Affair is gearing up for its final season and just brought on a fresh face to help tell the final leg of its story. The series has tapped Danish actor Claes Bang to play a love interest for Helen and is guaranteed to shake things up for two characters. Bang will play Sasha Mann, an actor who will apparently change the lives of both Helen and Noah before the curtain goes down on the show.

Claes Bang's Sasha Mann is an A-list movie star poised to play Helen's lover in Season 5 of The Affair. Variety reports Sasha lives a minimalist lifestyle and views things through the lens of an objectivist. Sasha's lifestyle and way of thinking are said to have an impact on Helen, and will help influence her to live her life another way whilst experiencing a "personal loss." Does this mean that Season 5 will pick up with Vik dead?

One would think that was the case, as the character was in pretty bad shape in The Affair's Season 4 finale. Take that, plus the fact that Helen has a new boo thang, and it would seem that Stage-4 cancer took Vik away. Of course, there's a small chance he pulled through and decided to shack up Sierra considering she's having his baby, although things certainly didn't seem to be heading that direction when Helen left his room.

There was no specific mention of how Claes Bang's Sasha will interact with Noah, but it wouldn't be surprising if the ex-husband butts heads with Helen's new lover. Then again, Sasha is some big-time actor who doesn't seem to have an incredible ego judging from his minimalist lifestyle, so perhaps the two will end up bonding? Again, this feels like a scenario where anything could happen, especially given the wild offseason The Affair has had so far.

Claes Bang is one of the few fresh faces in The Affair Season 5, which has pressed on despite the high-profile exit of star Ruth Wilson in Season 4. The jury is still out as to why she left exactly, as both parties are hinting the exit happened for different reasons. There was also the recent news that star Joshua Jackson may be quitting ahead of the new season as well, so more castings could happen down the line.

Claes Bang's casting in The Affair marks another achievement for the foreign actor, who will be seen in The Girl In The Spider's Web when it's in theaters. That's two big chances for Bang to make a name for himself in America, as the actor first gained acclaim for his role alongside Elisabeth Moss in The Square. Should Bang capture the attention of audiences in The Affair, this may not be the last time we see him on American television.

The Affair will return for Season 5 at Showtime, with its premiere coming sometime in 2019. For a look at potentially great shows headed to television in the meantime, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.